VIDEO: A new shift schedule called the ‘1323′ made its way into Lowcountry fire departments to improve work-life balance. Firefighters face demanding jobs with long hours on the clock. Each firefighter in the Charleston Fire Department works 24-hour shifts for 56 hours a week.
The department formerly used a 24/48 schedule, which means crews got 48 hours off after a 24-hour shift. Fire officials say the issue behind the old schedule is the lack of rest between each 24-hour shift. The department is piloting a new ‘1323′ shift schedule, which began on May 10. The schedule means firefighters work one day on shift, three days off, two days on and three days off.
Deputy Chief Forest Cockcroft with the Charleston Fire Department says the change is an effort to boost recovery and health for first responders. “Most people work 40 hours a week,” Cockcroft says. “Because of the 24-hour cycles, we do work an extra 16 hours within a two-week period that most people don’t work. So we’re staying within that 56-hour work week with this schedule, it just allows us to group the days together more and provide a better rest cycle.”
The long shift hours can take a toll on a firefighter’s mental and physical health. The National Library of Medicine reports that shift work, such as the 24/48 rotations, leads to sleep disruption, which impacts physical health and weight. Issues can also lead to chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease.
“If history shows anything, what we see is that firefighters have a higher instance of heart attack, cancer, those types of things,” Cockcroft says. “So in recent years, the fire service as a whole as well as the CFD has been making a real more concerted effort to look out for firefighters and provide avenues to detect cancer early, health and wellness, eating healthier, exercising and providing that time for them to be able to get that.”
Members of the department are already seeing improvements. Battalion Chief Ryan Hall with the department participated in implementing the shift change with the ‘1323′ committee. Hall says the change helps boost important moments such as family time.
